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"I cashed it this afternoon" She used to spend more each week at the dry cleaners than she’d received in her first paycheck froone for food and transportation, and there were only a few dollars left Her budget was tight, but she’d make it She’d have to
Nolan paused in front of her door and waited while she scrabbled through her bag, searching for the key "I hear you typing at night," she said "Are you working on anything special?"
"No"
She eyed hihty words a minute? A hundred? And for heaven’s sake, why don’t you use a coood day And for your information, I happen to like my electric It may be old, but it does the job"
She finally retrieved her key, conscious of his gaze on her hands
Suddenly he grasped her fingers "All right," he de’s happened toher hand free of Nolan’s
"Look at your nails," he said "There isn’t one that’s not broken"
"Yousquad at dawn So I chipped a few nails this week I’ll survive" Although she was ernail was like a small loss She took pride in her perfect nails, or at least she once had
His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her "There’s so me"
"I didn’t realize you’d appointed yourself er flashed in his dark eyes as he took the key froers He opened the door and, with one hand at her shoulder, urged her inside "We need to talk"
"No, we don’t" Maryanne roceries on the kitchen counter and spun around to confront her neighbor "Listen here, buster, you’veto do withto bore you with the sorry details ofthe s in front of theHis presence filled the apart it see an accusatory finger in her direction "These broken nails ca a dust ?"
Maryanne didn’t answer hiry, and his sudden concern for her welfare uardian"
"Against my advice, you took that stupid job Anyone with half a brain would knoasn’t going to--"
"Will you stop acting like you’re responsible for me?" Maryanne snapped
"I can’t help it I am responsible for you You wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t written that damn column I don’t want to intrude on your life any more than you want me to, but let’s face it, there’s no one else to look out for you Sooner or later soe of you"
That did it Maryanne stalked over to hih force to bend what re, I’m my ooman I make my own decisions I’ll work any place I damn well please Furthermore, I can take care of myself" She whirled around and opened her front door "Now kindly leave!"
"No"
"No?" she repeated
"No," he said again, returning to theHe crossed his arhed impatiently "You haven’t eaten, have you? I can tell, because you get testy when you’re hungry"
"If you’d leave my apartment the way I asked, that wouldn’t be a proble dinner with me?"
The invitation took Maryanne by surprise Her first impulse was to throw it back in his face After an entire week of pretending she didn’t exist, he had a lot of nerve even asking
"Well?" he prompted
"Where?" As if that ht of sharing herthan she wanted to ad to order chili?"
"Are you going to ask them to remove the non-existent bean sprouts from your sandwich?"
Maryanne hesitated She felt confused by all her contradictory ely attracted to Nolan and every ti they could become friends--more than friends But, equally often, he infuriated her or left her feeling depressed He made the most outlandish reuardian When he wasn’t issuing decrees, he neglected her as if she were nothingtouch, she was lying to her parents because of him! Well, maybe that wasn’t quite fair, but…
"I’ll throw in dessert," he coaxed with a sled "A la ain"
Maryanne’s eyes rier than anyone she’d ever known, a sreed to ave Maryanne tie clothes and freshen her loss, wondering if she was reading too much into this impromptu dinner date
When Nolan caed into jeans and a fisherman’s sweater It was the first time she’d seen him without the raincoat, other than the day he’d played basketball with the neighborhood boys He looked good All right, she adly, he looked fantastic